


two planets under gravity

by autumndark



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: (slight/one-sided) enemies to lovers, M/M, Space fighter AU, daniel is ready to fight for intergalactic peace, golden boy daniel, heavy drama and action, meanwhile jihoon is bitter and angry at the universe, mild fluff and angst, space delinquent (?) jihoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-02 20:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15804096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumndark/pseuds/autumndark
Summary: Kang Daniel is the best senior cadet in the training academy, with a strong determination to fight for the greater good and a heart of gold, he is beloved by everyone except for junior cadet Park Jihoon.Jihoon thinks the academy's golden boy is idealistic, foolish and naive, and can't stand being in the same room as him.It is unfortunate then that the academy has decided to pair the two together for the mentorship program.





	two planets under gravity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my_minha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_minha/gifts).



> written for the [Sunshine, Starlight](https://twitter.com/nielwink_ss) nielwink fic exchange and this prompt:
> 
>  
> 
> **"space fighter training au (like in a training academy and daniel’s the golden boy of the academy as a senior while jihoon is the troublesome first year but a secret genius at flying)"**
> 
>  
> 
> dear minnie, you asked for drama and action and i am here to deliver (you didn't ask for angst but somehow i delivered a bit of that too, whoops). i really hope that you like this ♥

* * * * *

  
  
  
  
  


_like two planets_  
_caught up in your gravity_  
_i revolve around you_  


  
  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  
  


“Oh my god, what are we gonna do Jihoon?"

Ignoring the frantic shouts of the other, Jihoon chooses not to reply - he _can’t_ reply, not right now - and remains knelt down on the ground with his eyes staring unblinkingly ahead in a cold daze.

“Jihoon!” calls Woojin again, both arms raised up as he combs through his sweat-matted hair with his hands, fingers bunching up and tugging stressfully at the knotted strands. "Hey, are you listening to me?” 

His best friend stops his anxious pacing back and forth, turning around in time to watch as a set of crystalline tears make their silent descent down Jihoon’s cheeks, clinging stubbornly to his chin before ultimately dropping to the ground, futile to resist gravity. 

Swallowing past the painful lump in his throat, Jihoon inhales a shuddery breath. 

_The air on Terra Nullius tastes metallic and bitter on his tongue._

“It’s my fault.” Jihoon whispers as Woojin’s eyes flick uncertainly between Daniel nearby and Jihoon’s own distressed form as he kneels on the ground hunched over into himself. 

Small and unsure, so very unlike Park Jihoon.

“It’s not- Don’t think like that, Jihoon.” offers Woojin consolingly, even as his own voice trembles. “We didn’t know it was going to end up like this.”

With an almost imperceptible shake of his bowed head, Jihoon disagrees. “No. This is all my fault.”

Reaching out, Woojin places a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“Listen to me, we can still fix this! Jihoon, we can-“ Woojin cries out desperately but Jihoon cuts him off before he can finish.

“No! You listen to me!” yells Jihoon, brushing Woojin’s arm off and panting harshly as he continues “ _I’m_ the one who dragged you out of bed in the middle of the night because I was feeling upset! _I’m_ the one who decided to steal a plane and fly out past the uncharted system where we could get attacked by raiders! And _I’m_ the reason why the academy’s golden boy is lying on a desolate, foreign planet - on _Terra Nullius_ for goodness’ sake - _bleeding to death_!”

Stunned, Woojin opens his mouth and closes it again before quietly saying “Daniel’s not dead."

“Yet.” spits out Jihoon, a bitter expression clouding his delicate features, even if it’s the last thing that he wants to actually happen.

“We can save him.” argues Woojin. 

Determined, he doesn’t wait for Jihoon to respond before standing up abruptly and turning to rush back towards the ship. 

"I'll go and fetch help.” Gathering up his gear, Woojin pauses unsurely to ask "Will you be okay on your own, Jihoon?"

In front of them, Daniel lies flat on his back with his arms spread out beside him. His face looks at ease, the edges of his lips naturally curving upwards at the corners in a pitiful mimicry of a smile.

One could almost assume he was sleeping peacefully in blood-stained clothes.

“I’ll be fine.” replies Jihoon eventually, an unmistakeable tremor in his voice.

It sounds unconvincing even to his own ears.

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


The thundering sound of applause reverberates around the stark white walls of the academy’s auditorium, and Jihoon fights the urge to roll his eyes. 

From beside him, Jihoon can hear Jinyoung muttering under his breath, _‘wow, he’s so cool’_ , whilst Daehwi and Kuanlin clap along excitedly.

“I don’t see what’s so great about him.” scoffs Jihoon quietly, watching the stage with a bored disinterest as Kang Daniel smiles genially at his peers and fellow cadets, exposing a pair of bunny-like front teeth and pink gums, his eyes crinkling up at the corners kindly. 

Jihoon’s not impressed.

“How can you say that?” says Woojin, nudging an elbow into Jihoon’s side. "Kang Daniel’s been at the top of the leaderboards in all of his modules since his first year here, the whole space shuttle is in love with him. Hell, probably half of the _Kay-Populi_ solar system is. He’ll be a great benefit to the Alliance in the future."

“God, not you too Woojin?” asks Jihoon, rolling his eyes surreptitiously behind closed eyelids.

“What?” bites back Woojin, elbowing Jihoon in the ribs a little bit too hard but Jihoon tries not to let it show. “He’s a cool guy. I don’t get why you hate him so much.”

“I don’t _hate_ him, I just think he’s overrated and overly naive at how things really operate out there in space. What kind of sheltered fool could say half of the things that come out of his mouth with a straight face?” explains Jihoon, slouching back in his seat. "He’s too idealistic.”

Up ahead, Kang Daniel continues to deliver his speech to the adoring masses.

“That’s why I believe that if we all work hard, we’ll be able to make the galaxy a safer and more united place once we finish our training at the Proto Deus Corps.” Daniel pauses, and Jihoon observes him sending the crowd an artificially fake smile, as though he actually believes about any of crap he’s spewing. “I like to think that even if I help just one person, I can still make a difference. I hope you can all hold onto your first resolve and your dreams as we strive towards becoming fully-fledged members of the Alliance!”

“Isn’t that so inspiring?” chirps Daehwi, leaning over to gush at the rest of the group before he and Kuanlin both let out a series of high-pitched cheers.

Jihoon wants to say more but bites his tongue; the speech is over anyway. 

If he’s lucky, he won’t have to hear about Kang Daniel again until the older cadet graduates at the end of the year.

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


“Park Jihoon? That guy that walked out of last year’s exam early?”

Jihoon hears the whispers already starting as he walks down the cold and impersonal hallways of the space station, and grits his teeth harder. He’s not exactly happy about the situation either but having to deal with all of the idiots that have an opinion about the academy’s selections is almost more annoying.

“Why would they pair Kang Daniel with a cadet like him?” mutters a second voice, sparing no effort to remain subtle and twisting to peer in Jihoon’s direction. "I heard that he’s failing all of his subjects except for flight, which is the sole reason that Proto Deus accepted him in the first place."

Ignoring them, Jihoon makes sure to keep his face neutral as he continues down the corridor towards the mess hall. 

Honestly, he doesn’t know what central command was thinking either when they were deciding which senior and junior cadets to pair together for the mentorship training program. _'Why couldn’t he have gotten one of the other senior cadets that he actually admires, like Hwang Minhyun or Ha Sungwoon?'_ wonders Jihoon, resentfully.

Impassively, Jihoon strides into the cafeteria, fills up his tray with a generic selection of food, and settles himself down at his usual table, offering his friends a wordless greeting before beginning to eat. 

“I’m glad that I got paired up with Seongwoo, he seems like he could teach me a lot of new things! I’m still a bit awkward around him, though.” says Daehwi, mouth full as he twists a small clump of noodles around his chopsticks. “Who did you end up with, Woojin?”

“He got paired up with Kim Jaehwan! Can you believe it?” blurts out Jinyoung, cackling in amusement. “They’re gonna be so loud together, this is hilarious.”

“Ugh, tell me about it.” mutters Woojin, putting on an upset appearance before breaking out into an amused smile, turning to their youngest at the table. “What about you, Kuanlin?”

“Oh, I got someone named Ha Sungwoon?” answers Kuanlin, pitching up at the end of his sentence in uncertainty. “I don’t know who that is though.” 

“I know who he is! He’s really capable, I think you’ll be able to grow a lot under his tutelage.” explains Daehwi, humming as he tries to recall the senior cadet.

“I wonder who got Daniel.” muses Jinyoung aloud, tapping his fingers on the table idly. “I imagine that you could learn the most from him. He must have a small moon's worth of life experience to share.”

Jihoon keeps his head down, holding back a scoff.

_Kang Daniel, experienced?_

The only reason why Daniel could think the way that he does - that if you are a ‘good person’ and work hard, the cosmos will reward you with good results - is because he probably comes from one of the richer and more developed planets like United SME or the YG solar system, where he had grown up sheltered from the harsh realities of the universe.

No one from any of the smaller realms would dare to think so optimistically.

He tunes out the chatter of his friends in favour of staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window panels at the distant moons and stars outside with an overly-rapt interest.

_Everyone on this satellite is probably going to die in vain anyway._

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


“So how is it going with Daniel?” asks Jinyoung, sliding into the seat next to Jihoon moments before the instructor walks into the room.

It’s been a month since the mentorship program began and Jihoon is begrudging to admit that working with Kang Daniel isn’t as terrible as he had feared it would be. 

“It’s annoying.” he replies curtly, sending a bored, cursory glance towards the instructor.

“You’re still annoyed at him?” asks Jinyoung, disbelievingly. “I thought you would’ve gotten past that by now.” 

“No, I mean it’s annoying how _nice_ he’s being to me.” elaborates Jihoon, the corner of his mouth quirking up in displeasure. “I can’t keep on hating him like this, it’s infuriating."

The instructor starts to talk about course mapping and the protocol for entering warp speed, diagrams of basic ship trajectories appearing above her on the holoboard. Jihoon and Jinyoung wait until she moves onto the next topic before continuing to talk, the holoboard changing to a cluster of text as she begins to stress the importance of ethics and following the guidelines for proper code of conduct as representatives of the Alliance. 

“Did I mention to you that he keeps on buying me food and offering to pass me his old learning materials for free?” grumbles Jihoon, resting his elbow on the table and his head on his hand.

“Well, that’s good isn’t it?” replies Jinyoung with a shrug. “Maybe you’ll start seeing Daniel in a new light?”

“I doubt it. He’s just trying to be a good mentor, that sounds like something he would want to do.” mumbles Jihoon, skimming over the ethics checklist disinterestedly. “What about you, doesn't your mentor do that kind of stuff too?”

“I suppose so.” says Jinyoung, clicking his tongue. "Minhyun’s really kind and helpful, but he also keeps bugging me to sleep earlier and to do my homework.”

The conversation sparks an episode in Jihoon’s memory and he sits up, ranting to the younger cadet. “Oh, did you know the other day Daniel was freaking out over a space bug that somehow managed to get into the containment area. He kept squirming about like a little kid. I guess they’re privileged enough to not have things like bugs on SME, or wherever Daniel’s from.” comments Jihoon, shaking his head lightly.

Leaning forward in his seat, Jinyoung peers around into Jihoon’s face. 

“You’re smiling.” observes Jinyoung, a lopsided smirk appearing on his boyish features.

“I am _not_. I’m laughing at him, the golden boy of the academy scared of a tiny little beta-cockroach? It’s ridiculous.” responds Jihoon calmly, even as blood starts to rush towards the tips of his ears warmly.

There’s a loaded silence before Jinyoung eventually replies, turning his attention back to the dull drone of the lecturer’s presentation. 

“If you say so, sure.”

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


The combat training room is empty safe for the two of them, nothing but the sounds of harsh pants loudly filling the air and the drum of his own heartbeat racing in Jihoon’s ears.

“Harder.” commands Daniel.

Jihoon complies, pushing himself even as sweat starts to fall from his hairline, pooling above his eyelashes.

“Again.”

Clenching his fist, Jihoon surges forward, throwing all of his weight into the movement.

“Great, you’re doing amazing.” praises Daniel. “I think you’re a natural at this.”

Smiling at the compliment, Jihoon ducks his head bashfully, stripping off his gloves and throwing them down carelessly onto the practice mat. 

“I’d always thought flying was meant to be your strong point, but you’re really good at this Jihoon. I think you might even be better at this than me!” says Daniel, giggling as he follows suit, shedding his combat gear and stretching his arms over his head eagerly.

“Not really.” denies Jihoon, scratching at his head self-consciously, “The academy doesn’t really like the way I fight, says it’s too unrefined.”

“Really? Well, I think you’re good. The instructors must be doing something wrong if they can’t see it.” Daniel tells Jihoon, picking up a towel and wiping his face and neck, passing a clean one to Jihoon. “To be honest, I’m not really sure why I’m at the top of the leaderboards. I think I’m actually pretty average in a lot of things. The only thing ‘special' about me is that I work hard and want to make a difference in the world.”

“You know, you don’t have to keep up the act anymore.” comments Jihoon softly, accepting the proffered towel. “There’s only the two of us here, no one else can hear you.”

“It’s not an act though.” denies Daniel, eyes widening before blinking in surprise. “I really feel that way.”

“Oh.” says Jihoon, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I don’t know why, I just always thought-“ 

Jihoon isn’t the type to mince his words and care about offending others, and yet he suddenly feels the need to apologise to the older student.

To his credit, Daniel takes it in stride, brushing off the offence with a wave of his hand as he makes his way over to the weapons module. He sends Jihoon a genuine smile that Jihoon returns in confusion, feeling like he’s not quite sure where they stand with each other anymore.

_How can he still be so carefree after what I just said?_

“Technically, you’re not supposed to use plasma guns until next year,” begins Daniel, the edges of his smile turning mischievous as he unlocks the bottom cabinet, “but I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”

He passes Jihoon the weapon, its glowing energy radiating a soft heat onto Jihoon’s gloveless palms.

“I’ll guide you through the basics.” offers Daniel, moving to stand behind the younger cadet and positioning the gun in his hands. “You never know, it might come in handy one day.”

Two months after getting to know the senior cadet better, Jihoon realises something as he tilts his head up and takes the time to observe Daniel properly, a plasma weapon gripped tightly between his hands and the other’s voice gently guiding him by his ear.

_Perhaps, there is something special about Kang Daniel after all._

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


The library isn’t a place that Jihoon frequents regularly however tonight he finds himself sitting at a desk alone, idly scrolling through an archive about historic human life on planet earth. Abnormally, Jihoon had woken up 40 minutes ago after spending close to an hour of restless tossing and turning in his bed, fruitlessly trying to chase sleep before giving up and dragging his weary body here in hopes of perhaps exhausting his mind as well.

_‘In the past, humans used to gift each other plant species called ‘flowers’ that they deemed beautiful as an expression of affection, apology or congratulations.’_

_Interesting,_ thinks Jihoon, wondering if life had been easier and less complicated for their distant ancestors with their quaint but ultimately trivial traditions. 

The mechanical whirring of the library doors opening has Jihoon looking up from the screen in surprise as Daniel saunters in, nonchalantly walking around the shuttle in the middle of the night, and looking as tired as Jihoon feels. 

“I was heading back to my room, and I thought that I spotted you in here.” offers Daniel by way of explanation, coming closer.

“Hello Daniel.” greets Jihoon with a muted smile. He lifts a hand as though he intends to trace the tired lines around Daniel’s eyes with a finger but thinks better of it, his arm making an aborted motion as he abandons the gesture halfway. Instead, Jihoon asks gently “Why are you up so late? You look like you could almost fall asleep standing up.”

“I could ask you the same thing.” replies Daniel, giggling cheerfully despite the late hour. “I had a schedule that I had to do for central command but I’m finished now. What are you doing up here all alone?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” shrugs Jihoon, shutting off the archive’s screen. 

“Well, that’s no good.” frowns Daniel, his hand settling lightly on Jihoon’s back where his neck meets shoulder. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”

  
  
  
  


With heavy eyelids and footsteps, Jihoon follows Daniel down the corridor. 

The view outside of the space station is the same regardless of whether the clock says that it is day or night; space remains a big, black void of nothingness that serves as a constant reminder of how little and insignificant they really are in the grand scheme of things. In the reflection of the window, Jihoon sees them walking beside each other and wonders when they became so close.

_When did he start seeing Daniel as a source of comfort rather than irritation?_

They reach Daniel’s room first and Jihoon is about to bid the senior cadet goodnight when Daniel pauses hesitantly in front of his door.

“Hey, so uh, you said you were having trouble sleeping, right?” begins Daniel, uncharacteristically stumbling over his words. “Do you want to stay with me tonight? I find that sometimes it helps to feel less alone when you have someone there with you.”

Jihoon opens his mouth, a refusal hovering on his tongue, when he takes in Daniel’s weary shoulders and fraying smile, and reconsiders. 

_Even the golden boy gets lonely sometimes, huh._

  
  
  
  


There’s enough space in Daniel’s bed for them to both lie comfortably with only the faintest brushing of their forearms against each other. 

Jihoon turns on his side, mirroring Daniel’s position. The taller male had laid down in a seemingly uncomfortably crumpled position, curled up with his limbs twisted at funny angle. Upon noticing Jihoon’s amused stare, Daniel had claimed that he finds it difficult to sleep lying flat on his back unless he has no other choice, preferring to sprawl messily or coil himself into tight ball.

The room is dark and Jihoon’s eyes are closed; there is the shuffling of blankets before he hears Daniel whisper a question.

“Don’t you think it’s funny how we both ended up meeting each other like this?” asks Daniel, his voice muted in the quiet room, its register deeper than usual, and enticing the fine hairs on the back of Jihoon’s neck to traitorously stand on end.

“Mm?” hums Jihoon sleepily.

“Why did you decide to join, Jihoon?” inquires Daniel, the bed creaking beneath his weight as he adjusts his weight. “In my case, I had an older friend named Yoon Jisung back when I lived on Minor Meta Orsa.” confides Daniel.

“You’re from MMO?” asks Jihoon, surprise colouring his tone.

“Yeah, is that so surprising?” chuckles Daniel.

“I guess I had always assumed that you were from one of the richer, more developed planets.” admits Jihoon, biting his lip and staring up at the ceiling.

“Nah, things were pretty bad there.” replies Daniel easily. Jihoon can feel him shuffling around on the bed again, getting comfortable as he starts to talk. “But then Jisung decided to join the Alliance and he applied for the Proto Deus Corps, just like you and me."

Daniel pauses to gather his thoughts and when Jihoon tilts his head to face him, Daniel has his eyes closed and a soft smile upon his lips.

“Jisung told me about how he dreamed of all the good things that he could do as an Alliance Fighter and all of the positive change that he could bring about, and I guess that got me thinking about how we all have the ability to make things better. He inspired me to follow in his footsteps.” 

“I think I misjudged you.” says Jihoon slowly, swallowing audibly. “You have a good heart, Kang Daniel.”

“Oh? I’m not really anything special though.” responds Daniel, reaching out to place his hand over Jihoon’s lightly. "Aren’t you the same? Isn’t that why you applied to become a member of the Alliance?”

Jihoon considers the question, turning Daniel’s words over inside his head. Eventually, Jihoon answers “I’m not like you, Daniel. I grew up on the Delta Maroo belt and the only reason why I joined the Alliance was to escape that wasteland of a planet. To maybe get a chance to explore the rest of the universe.” He lets out a dry chuckle. “I’m not really in this for the 'greater good' like you are."

Daniel hums and lets go of his hand but doesn’t reply, and Jihoon wonders if the other man thinks he’s selfish. Jihoon doesn’t care about what people think of him, never has, but strangely Kang Daniel’s opinion of him is important.

In the dark, Jihoon can make out the glimmer of Daniel’s eyes mapping their way over Jihoon’s visage, tracing his features.

“Maybe we can make the universe a better place for all of the planets, big and small. So no one has to suffer the same way that we did."

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


Unexpectedly, Jihoon finds himself sharing a meal with Daniel on the surface of PLE-6682 under the light of the planet’s eleven moons. A _picnic_ , Daniel had called it, explaining that in the olden days, earthbound humans apparently used to bring food with them to different places to eat in more interesting environments with people that they liked.

“That sounds troublesome.” comments Jihoon, sitting down quietly on the ground and watching as Daniel unpacks his bag. “But I suppose this is kind of nice."

The atmosphere is strangely romantic even though the planet has been uninhabited by lifeforms for over a century. Although the pair had initially visited PLE-6682 to collect some mineral samples for one of Daniel’s assignments, there is a beautiful empty clearing near where they had landed their ship - Minhyun’s white lightcraft, borrowed because Daniel’s own black plane could only cater for one - and currently they sit surrounded by strange bluish-grey plants that are covered in small white crystals that sparkle when they sway in the moonlight.

“Right?” says Daniel, smiling enthusiastically at Jihoon’s growing interest. “I think it’s cute! The humans back on earth had so many adorable traditions like this.”

To be honest, Jihoon doesn’t care too much for silly outdated human rituals however he decides that he likes how animated Daniel becomes talking about the subject, passionately rattling off facts that he’d read about their long-gone ancestors.

With deft hands, Daniel takes out a container of stew and laughs sheepishly. “I had a little help from the others when I made this, but it’s good. I promise!”

“You didn’t have to do that. I would have been fine with the ready-made meals, you know.” says Jihoon, smiling as he leans over to try some.

“I know, but I wanted to.” replies Daniel, watching as Jihoon swallows the soup and anticipating his reaction. “Is it okay?"

“This is really good, wow.” answers Jihoon, going back for another mouthful. An errant thought crosses Jihoon’s mind and he giggles “Were you trying to impress me?"

“Perhaps.” responds Daniel, chuckling and sharing a secret smile with Jihoon. "Is it working?”

Returning the smile, Jihoon replies.

“Perhaps."

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


Jihoon is in a bad mood today.

He’s pretty sure that he's just failed his mandatory engineering test for pilots because the officiator inexplicably hates him and as he’s walking back to his room, he has the displeasure of literally bumping into two of the idiots in his cohort.

“Watch it.” Jihoon says, as Howon intentionally slams into his shoulder as he walks past. 

It’s not strong enough to throw Jihoon off balance but it’s still hard enough to hurt.

“Easy, there. You really should work on your attitude.” drawls Howon, rolling his own shoulder languidly. “Those flight skills of yours can only get you so far. But I suppose that’s what you get for being junkyard trash, raised on a marauder planet."

The words aren’t anything new but they hurt more than the shove. 

Beside Howon, Jaeseob speaks up from where he had been watching the exchange quietly but it’s not to jump to Jihoon’s defence. 

He stares at Jihoon with his dead eyes before stating “I heard that your family got kicked off of Fantagia, that’s why you had to get exiled to Maroo.”

“You don’t know shit.” barks Jihoon, fingers itching to throw a punch.

“Ohh, calm down pretty boy.” snickers Howon, a condescending smirk on his face. “Don’t you know how to talk nicely?”

Jihoon moves to side-step around him, continuing on towards the atmosphere simulator like he had originally planned.

“I overheard the seniors talking about him the other day, you know.” says Howon, talking to Jaeseob but in a purposefully loud voice for that’s meant for Jihoon to hear. “Luckily for Daniel, he only has a few more weeks of wasting his time with this one before he can hang out with his own friends again. Man, I feel bad for him."

Snickering in agreement, Jaeseob replies “Come on, Howon. Let’s not waste anymore time on him when we’ve got better things to do."

“I don’t know how Daniel can stand working with him, what a liability.” Howon sighs pitifully, putting an arm around Jaeseob before turning towards Jihoon and spitting out one last parting remark, casually thrown over his shoulder like an afterthought. 

“All you’re doing is holding him back."

Exhaling slowly, Jihoon changes course and makes a beeline for Woojin’s room instead.

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


“This is a bad idea, Jihoon.” warns Woojin from where he stands on the floor of the hangar with his hands placed judgementally on his hips, looking up at Jihoon balancing on the plane wing as the other boy flips open the panel of the lightcraft carrier and starts messing with the wires.

“You know I’m always in favour of having some fun but like, what if we get caught?” continues his best friend, disapproval in his tone as he tries to reason with him. “Jihoon, I don’t know what your record says but I’m pretty sure you can’t take much more demerit points before you end up getting expelled.”

“If you don’t wanna come along, just say so.” says Jihoon simply from above the wing.

Woojin takes a look at Jihoon’s determined face, the furrow in his brow, and relents. “Alright, fine. You’re sure about this, though?”

“Of course. We’re gonna be letting off a little bit of steam, that’s all. It’ll be fine.” He pops his head over the edge of the enhanced alloy and smiles winningly at Woojin. “What’s the worse that could happen?"

  
  
  
  


“I thought you said we were just going for a joyride.” screams Woojin accusingly, clinging to the edge of the control panel with what Jihoon thinks is an unnecessary level of panic.

“Well, things change Woojin! I thought we were too!” Jihoon yells back, steering the ship into a dive roll with a sharp twist of his wrist, narrowly dodging an enemy laser.

His friend (supposedly co-pilot, although Woojin isn’t doing a great job of that right now) doesn’t reply, instead turning around restlessly to peer at the raider ship that had started targeting them after they’d warped past the 9th Cosmos belt. 

“Will you relax?” says Jihoon, narrowing his eyes at Woojin. “Shouldn’t you have more faith in my flying abilities? The academy doesn't call me a genius pilot for nothing, you know."

“Yeah, but this is a high pressure situation! How are you _not_ freaking out?” yelps Woojin, his tanned fingers turning white at the knuckles. “I think they shot off part of the landing gear. Oh my god, Jihoon. How are you gonna land without it?"

Calmly, Jihoon rebuts him. “I’ve survived through worse. Anyway, you’re distracting me. I’m fully capable of-"

The traumatic sounds of metal collapsing in on itself prevents Jihoon from finishing his sentence.

  
  
  
  


“Goddamn mercenaries.” mutters Jihoon, hauling himself out of the smoking cockpit as Woojin does the same. 

The air inside Terra Nullius’ atmosphere is difficult to breathe and carries with it the faint odour of rotting flesh.

After the raiders had launched a proto-missile at their plane, Jihoon had been forced to make an emergency landing on Terra Nullius, which turned out to be the nearest non-hostile planet within a lightyear. Although the Nullius quadrant is an unclaimed zone, it isn’t exactly the most habitable of environments and most humanoid species (peaceful and non-peaceful alike) tend to avoid it.

Jihoon sighs and shakes off the dirt from his clothes, peering up dubiously at their hastily-borrowed - _not stolen_ \- spacecraft.

“Why anyone would want to steal this hunking piece of junk is beyond me, we didn’t even take one of the good ships." gripes Jihoon, stamping the dust off of his boots roughly.

Once the ringing in his ears has cleared, Jihoon picks up a faint beeping noise that appears to be coming from within the ship’s cockpit. 

“Oh, crap. Did those raiders find us already?” asks Woojin, his throat raspy from screaming, as Jihoon turns back to inspect the ship.

“God, I hope not. I’m sure I shook them off our tail once we’d entered the Nullius system orbit.” answers Jihoon, scratching his head in confusion as he scrutinises the control panel warily. "And then after we landed, I switched on the cloaking mechanism straight away."

“Do you think it’s damaged?” Woojin questions worriedly, creeping closer to watch Jihoon.

The ship seems to be in decent shape, even if it is missing a disturbingly large chunk of fuselage from its undercarriage and leaking grey smoke, but Jihoon is sure that he’ll be able to get it to fly again. At least, enough to safely transport both himself and Woojin back to the space station.

“No, that’s not it. It’s registering that there’s an incoming _friendly_ spacecraft headed our way. An ally.” whispers Jihoon, disbelief colouring his tone.

Mirroring his perplexed expression, Woojin raises his eyes to the sky and squints briefly before screeching out loudly, jolting Jihoon on the shoulder as he raises an arm outwards and pointing desperately.

“There! Do you see it? Right over by the fifth moon!” shouts Woojin, voice pitching up higher in urgency. 

Following the direction of his finger, Jihoon has to wait for his eyes to focus after Woojin’s frantic shaking but when they do, he notices a black spaceship heading towards them with a familiar white, triangular crest branded on the side.

“It’s got an Alliance logo on it.” observes Woojin. “Do you think command sent it after us?”

The newcomer looks too small to be a fighter unit or a passenger craft, which Jihoon suspects the academy would use to retrieve troublemaker cadets such as themselves. Instead, the spaceship's form is slender and sleek, and bears resemblance to the ships that are primarily employed for reconnaissance missions.

“It looks like a personal craft.” murmurs Jihoon, staring fixatedly at the dull grey panelling and accented wingtips in fascination. 

Furrowing his brow, he asks quietly “Hey, Woojin. Did you tell anyone at base what we were doing before we left?”

“I bumped into Daehwi on the way to the hangar, but I didn’t tell him what we were planning, obviously.” replies Woojin, unsurely.

Something about it tugs at the back corner of Jihoon’s mind.

  


_A late night, a teasing remark, a wide smile with bunny teeth._

_Whispered hopes and dreams, fingers brushing the back of his hand, a racing heartbeat._

_A confession balanced on the tip of his tongue, aching to be set free, and yet…_

  


“It’s Daniel.” says Jihoon, conviction evident in his tone even as the expression he wears is torn, his emotions conflicted inside and displayed publicly on his face.

Beside him, Woojin opens his mouth, drawing in a breath, before changing his mind and closing it silently.

Both of them watch with bated breath as the black spacecraft lands, its engine powering down, and the front of the pilot seat opens up, revealing the face of none other than Kang Daniel.

Marching towards the pair hurriedly, Daniel’s expression worsens as he comes close enough to see their lack of protective gear and sheepish stances.

With an anguished look, Daniel lectures them.

“You really showed up here with no weapons or armour? Do you kids have a death wish?” The older man takes off his helmet and rakes a hand through his hair stressfully. “What were you two thinking?” asks Daniel, exasperation heavy in his tone as he tries to keep his voice level. 

The disappointment painted on Daniel’s face is enough to make Jihoon feel the stark one-year difference between them as a senior cadet about to graduate and go out into the world, and a junior cadet still bitter and angry at the universe for playing out his life the way that it had deemed worthy.

“You didn’t have to come after me, Daniel.” says Jihoon eventually, crossing both of his arms in front of him defensively. “We had the situation under control.”

“You call this under control?" says Daniel disbelievingly, a hand coming up to gesture vaguely at the situation around them.

"I can take care of myself! I’ve always done just fine all on my own, nothing’s any different now!” shouts Jihoon reflexively, his neck burning hot under his collar from the embarrassment of being treated like a useless kid - a _liability_. "You’re my mentor, not my babysitter."

“Your mentor.” repeats Daniel, scoffing under his breath and turning his head away. 

“I didn’t ask for you to follow me.” says Jihoon bluntly, pinning the older male with a fierce glare. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me for much longer. I’ll be out of your way in a few weeks and you can go back to hanging out with whoever you want. Sorry for wasting your time.”

“Is that really all you see me as?” asks Daniel flatly, expression closed-off and more guarded than Jihoon remembers it ever being, not even when they had first met all those years ago. “I had thought that we had become closer after all this, but I guess I was the only one who had felt that way. You were right, after all. I’m an overly naive person, just like you said, aren’t I?"

Jihoon's mind is a mess of jumbled thoughts and emotions; parts of himself that he had so carefully compartmentalised - the beliefs that he had staunchly clung onto in an ever-changing world, the protective walls that he had painstakingly built up brick by brick - are shattering and splintering because of one man.

“You knew about that?” asks Jihoon, mouth parting in shock.

Daniel lets out a bitter laugh that sounds foreign coming from his lips. “It was hard not to. You were so vocal about it before we met. I was hoping that I would be able to change your mind about me, but actually you proved me wrong instead.”

“No. That’s not-“ begins Jihoon, fingers itching to reach out and console Daniel but instead his hand remains limp by his side.

It’s strange how the words that usually come so easily are evading him now.

_I have so much to say to you, Kang Daniel, that language could never do it justice._

“Daniel, I-“

Jihoon is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Woojin, rushing up to them from where he had returned to the smoking spacecraft, yelling urgently.

“The radar is still signalling an incoming ship! I think the raiders have tracked down our location!” Woojin shouts, grabbing Jihoon by the arm and tugging him bodily back towards their ship. “We need to get out of here!”

Reluctant to leave, the trio manage to cover two strides before the ground around them starts lighting up with the hot crackle of electron bullets raining down upon them. 

“Shit! They’re already here!” screeches Woojin.

Jihoon can barely hear his own thoughts over the jarring cacophony of noise.

“Here! Take my armour!” directs Daniel, taking his helmet off and placing it firmly on Jihoon’s head before divesting of his outer jacket quickly.

“What? I can’t-“ protests Jihoon, attempting to shove the protective gear back but the other man is frightfully stubborn.

There’s a loud crash followed by an even louder explosion, rumbling the earth beneath them and kicking up plumes of red dust, that has all three of them reflexively ducking and covering their heads. When the haze settles, Jihoon turns to look and finds the front half of their plane has been damaged beyond repair, angry flames licking up the sides of the engine, as the enemy craft lands in the empty space before them and two men walk out.

Upon closer inspection, the hostiles are of a humanoid species in appearance and rather than the standard black clothes that most mercenaries favour, they are wearing uniforms that bear a red insignia, signifying their allegiance to the Anti-Alliance Resistance Force.

"This is bad.” mutters Daniel, beckoning Jihoon and Woojin behind him as he moves to stand protectively in front of them.

Jihoon swallows, taking in the gravity of the situation.

_How did everything go so wrong?_

Raiders and rogue mercenaries are only interested in pursuing their own personal benefit, and can be bargained with or deterred when presented with enough of a threat. Resistance members on the other hand, will stop at nothing to eliminate any Allied forces they encounter.

They must have recognised the ship Jihoon and Woojin had taken and followed with the intention of killing them or worse, capturing them alive and using the cadets as leverage against the Alliance.

“Use my plane to radio for backup.” directs Daniel, turning to the younger boys. 

He unsheathes his plasma gun from its holder by his hip, its chamber lighting up with white-hot energy, casting Daniel’s skin in a soft blue glow.

“Afterwards, I want both of you to run and hide.”

  
  
  
  


“The signal isn’t holding long enough for me to establish a connection.” says Woojin, fingers frantically dancing across the screen of Daniel’s control panel. “It keeps saying that it failed to relay a response. Terra Nullius might be under the influence of a black hole.” 

“You’re sure?” asks Jihoon agitatedly. “Daniel can’t hold them off for much longer!”

Impressively, Daniel has managed to take down one of the resistance members on his own however the remaining man proves to be a challenge even alone and looks as primed as he had when the battle had first begun. Gradually Daniel is starting to slow down, his movements becoming less graceful and his reactions sluggish, the sweat pooling on his brow combined with his pale skin and tightly-drawn breaths making him appear almost sickly.

Jihoon doesn’t know how much more of this he can take.

Gravely, Woojin shakes his head and answers “We won’t be able to reach central command from the ground. We’ll have to do it from outside of the Nullius system atmosphere.”

Bending down, Jihoon’s eyes scan the lines of text on-screen - Woojin’s multiple failed attempts to call home. 

There’s a scream, pained and punctured, and it ruptures through the air like a shot to Jihoon’s heart.

When Jihoon whips his head back to the fight, his eyes take in Daniel’s crumpled form lying hunched on the dirt, a blood-covered hand cradled close to his chest and an agonised expression on his face. 

Several meters away, Daniel’s plasma gun lies uselessly on the ground, out of Daniel’s reach.

_Please._

Jihoon watches Daniel struggle to get up as the resistance member approaches steadily, raising his own laser rifle but Daniel remains on the ground.

_Come on, Daniel. I’ve lost so much, I can’t lose you too._

The man aims his weapon at Daniel’s unmoving body and the sound of it charging reaches Jihoon’s ears.

His body moves on its own, ducking out of the safety of Daniel’s ship and sprinting towards the fight, ignoring Woojin’s panicked calls.

The plasma gun is heavy in Jihoon’s hands, slippery in his grasp from the cold sweat of his clammy hands and the slick heat of its former owner’s lifeblood. 

Junior cadets don’t engage in mortal combat; Jihoon’s only ever practiced with a plasma weapon exactly once and he’s never shot at a living target with the intent to kill before.

He raises the gun with shaking hands and breathes in deeply.

  


_A steady whisper in his ear._

_“Aim for the chest, not the head. It’s easier."_

_A pair of warm arms around his shoulders._

_“Make sure the trigger is engaged fully, and you can see it charging.”_

_An airy chuckle and a fond smile._

_“I’ll tell you a neat little trick for extra damage. Wait until it’s just about to reach a full charge, yeah just like that, and then release!"_

  


Jihoon lets go of the trigger and fires the shot.

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


There isn’t much to pack; Jihoon’s always been one to keep a sparse collection of belongings, utilitarian in nature and a uniform set of clothes provided by the academy, with just enough few personal effects to showcase a lack of conformity on his part.

_He’ll apologise to Woojin and the others later._

By the time he’s ready to go, Jihoon’s room looks as though it had never confined him within its walls, impersonal and unloved, a clean blank slate.

The door closes behind him with an hollow click.

On the way out, Jihoon finds himself pausing along the bridge, surrounded entirely by the thick glass windows and looking out at into the black emptiness of infinite space.

_The universe has no limits, but just how long does Jihoon plan to run from all of his problems?_

_As long as the cosmos plans on screwing him over…_

Jihoon's not sure why his feet have chosen to steer him towards here but coincidentally, the medical wing is only one corridor away.

It’s hardly a decision at all.

  
  
  
  


After Woojin had gone to fetch help, Jihoon had stayed by Daniel’s side as the other man’s skin gradually lost colour and held onto his hand until his fingers lost feeling.

Standing at the doorway of the infirmary and looking in at Daniel now, even as his chest steadily rises and the bedside monitor beeps rhythmically to the beat of Daniel’s heart, Jihoon can’t shake the image of Daniel almost dying in his arms on Terra Nullius from his mind. 

Wetness pools at the corners of his eyes and a stray tear makes its way down his cheek, chasing gravity.

_Why do all the good people always end up suffering? Just how unfair is this world?_ thinks Jihoon, clenching his fist tightly.

As Jihoon moves to leave, a dulcet voice calls out softly from within the room.

“Wait.”

Jihoon pauses, adjusts the hold on his bag, but doesn’t turn around.

“Are you really planning on leaving without even saying goodbye?”

_Leaving first always hurts less._

“What’s the point?” replies Jihoon, his voice coming out scratchier than he had expected.

“Stay, at least until he wakes up and recovers.” A quick glance down at the bag in Jihoon’s hand. "What’s the hurry, hmm?” 

Blinking rapidly to stave off the onset of more tears that stubbornly cling to his lashes, Jihoon turns back and allows his gaze to meet Seongwoo’s. The older cadet looks as morose as Jihoon himself feels but still he offers Jihoon a comforting smile.

“The academy hasn’t even decided on what your punishment is yet, don’t you think you’re jumping the gun a little?” comments Seongwoo, reclining in his seat stiffly, the chair making a sharp screech on the floor as he leans back.

“I don’t need to wait and find out what their decision is. I know I’m going to be expelled.” answers Jihoon evenly, expression carefully blank. 

By now, Jihoon has perfected the art of feigning nonchalance although this time the effect is ruined by the wet shimmer that remains on his cheeks. 

“I’ve never wanted to become an Alliance Fighter.” confides Jihoon lowly, breath stuttering as he begins to get more worked up. "All I wanted to do was to get off the Delta Maroo belt and make something better of my life. If I get kicked out of the program, I’ll be sent back there and I just, I can’t do that again.” 

“So instead you’re going to leave quietly on your own, is that it?” Seongwoo hums consideringly and Jihoon suspects that the older male sees through his act, at how affected by everything Jihoon really is deep down. 

Jihoon remains silent and the weight of his bag in his hands feels unbearably heavy all of a sudden.

“I think,” begins Seongwoo, pausing as he collects his thoughts, “that this kind of rash thinking is what gets people into trouble in the first place.” 

Seongwoo lifts an eyebrow at Jihoon pointedly but not unkindly, and holds out a hand, patting at the vacant seat beside him. 

“Stay, I know that he’ll be happy to see you here when he wakes up."

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


The academy ultimately decides to sentence Jihoon with a suspension as well as a heavy strike to his piloting licence. 

Originally, Daniel had opted to try and argue that it was a joint idea amongst the three of them to go on a joyride, vouching for Jihoon and Woojin, and increasing the level of his own involvement in the situation, however Jihoon had firmly refused and eventually managed to convince Daniel to stick to the actual version of events. 

Despite this, the academy still holds Daniel accountable as Jihoon’s mentor and he is punished with several demerit points for not notifying them upon learning of Jihoon and Woojin’s disappearance, instead taking matters into his own hands and leaving alone. 

With a guilty conscience, Jihoon walks out of his meeting with the principal commander feeling furious at them for punishing Daniel for Jihoon’s own mistake and furious at himself as well for letting it happen. With the seniors’ graduation coming up around the corner, Jihoon can only hope that this doesn’t end up negatively affecting Daniel’s final evaluation.

The time that they have left together is steadily dwindling down like the fading light of a dying star.

Jihoon can’t shake the growing worry that by the end of this year, the one that is going to be left behind will be him.

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


By the time Jihoon’s suspension is lifted, Daniel has already made a full recovery and is busy handling his myriad of responsibilities as the top cadet of the graduating class. They rarely see each other anymore, mentorship program successfully completed and with no shared classes, it is only a matter of time before they part ways. 

At the start of the year, the thought would have filled Jihoon with relief but instead all he feels is disappointment. Regret.

_Longing._

A large part of Jihoon wants to find Daniel and tell him how he feels; he wants to apologise to Daniel for causing him get hurt and thank him for saving his life, to convey to him exactly how fond of his presence Jihoon has grown over the past months that they've spent in close company.

However Jihoon is a coward and he’s never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve like Daniel, always keeping his cards close to his chest. 

_Always, always, the first to run._

And perhaps, in the quiet sanctuary of his room, Jihoon will admit that it’s because it feels a little too much like a goodbye. 

  
  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  
  


Time continues to pass, and eventually Daniel’s graduation rolls around before Jihoon can make amends.

Jihoon’s avoidance act continues up until the very last day before Daniel leaves the training space station to begin his official placement on a far away planet as a fully-fledged member of the Space Alliance Force. 

Daniel is the one who comes to find him, knocking on his door looking breath-taking in his full uniform and bearing a sweet smile too innocent to belong to a fighter. Even when Jihoon had thought of Daniel as nothing but a foolish, idealistic dreamer, in comparison the gap between them now feels farther than ever, a gaping chasm that bleeds hollow wounds at the bottom of Jihoon’s heart.

“Hey, it feels like I haven’t seen you in a while.” greets Daniel, smiling gently. 

Licking his chapped lips anxiously, Jihoon returns the smile and nods in agreement. “It has."

“I missed you.” continues Daniel.

“Me too.” mumbles Jihoon, looking down at the floor, ears flushing as he clears his throat awkwardly. “Also I know it’s late, but I’m sorry about everything that happened.”

“I’m sorry too but only because it meant that we had less time to spend together.” When Daniel notices Jihoon not returning his smile easily, his expression grows softer and more concerned. “I’m not upset, Jihoon. If I had to make a choice, I would choose to do it again. So please, don’t be sad.”

“Don’t say that when I’m the one that had to watch you slowly bleed out on the ground in front of me.” whispers Jihoon in a muted breath.

Sombrely, Daniel raises his right hand to pat gingerly at his chest area. “I just wish I had something less sad to remember you by.”

Straightening up abruptly, Jihoon spins around at the door and retreats back into his room, throwing a casual instruction over his shoulder as he goes. “Wait here, I just remembered something!”

Daniel is waiting patiently at his door in the same spot that Jihoon had left him with a confused look upon his face when Jihoon returns cradling an item in an airtight container. It’s a familiar-looking plant specimen with a thin blue-coloured stem and light grey crystals sprouting on its ends.

“I once read that ancient humans presented ‘flowers’ to each other on certain occasions such as graduations or confessions, to signify affection, congratulations or apology. I thought it was pretty fitting, although I understand if you think it’s a little weird.” finishes Jihoon with a light chuckle.

“So which occasion is this?” asks Daniel with a lighthearted giggle.

A spark of understanding lights up in the younger’s eyes, replying jokingly “Oh? Were you hoping for a confession?"

With an uncharacteristically wry smile, Daniel shakes his head slowly and says “I wouldn’t want you to feel apologetic or burdened, like you’re obliged to return my feelings.”

Head spinning, Jihoon whispers “What?”

_Daniel likes him?_ It feels like his world is spinning out of orbit.

“I know you don’t feel the same way, and it’s okay. Really.” says Daniel hurriedly, still smiling.

“Wait, no. You’re wrong. How- I don’t-“ stutters Jihoon.

He's never taken the time to consider exactly how he feels about Daniel now that their relationship has progressed so far, but the emotions have always been there; quietly but steadily growing in intensity in the most secret chambers of his heart.

It would be a lie to say that Kang Daniel was nothing more than a passing presence in Park Jihoon's life.

“My feelings for you aren’t the same as they used to be anymore. It’s confusing, but I think I might… also…” Jihoon trails off uncertainly, fidgeting with the stem of the plant nervously.

‘No, it’s okay.” says Daniel, the look in his eyes gentle as he gazes down at Jihoon. There’s something endlessly fond in his expression that makes Jihoon feel as though he’s found a place to call home. "I’ll wait. I’ve waited for a long time, actually. What’s another year?” 

Looking entirely at peace with the situation, Daniel smiles and continues “If you still feel the same at the end of next year, come and find me again after you get your placement."

A tentative hope blossoms within Jihoon’s chest even as the bitter cynic inside of him rears its doubtful head. 

“But what if you forget about me?” Jihoon cannot help but question, “Or get bored of waiting. A year is a long time." 

“Jihoon," says Daniel, reaching out with a self-assured hand to pluck the makeshift flower from Jihoon’s own fingers with a reverent gentleness. “If you walk even one step towards me, I’ll run the rest of the way to you."

Jihoon’s eyes unwittingly trace the movement of the plant, it’s delicate crystals swaying gently with the motion. 

_Even in the harshest and most barren of environments, something beautiful can survive with enough determination_ , Jihoon thinks.

As Jihoon raises his eyes and allows himself to drink in Daniel’s appearance; his wide gummy smile, so openly affectionate, and his kind eyes, so gentle and loving but patient and selfless, Jihoon shakes his head firmly.

“No, I think I’ve done enough running away for now.” says Jihoon, smiling back at Daniel and hoping that his face conveys even a tenth of what he sees reflected in the other’s expression. 

_Space is too big and empty to spend it wandering alone._

“This time, I’ll run towards you."

**Author's Note:**

> idk how to write an author’s note without giving myself away but thank you very much for reading and i’m sorry it’s such a mess ♥♥♥
> 
>  **edit:** SO THE REVEALS ARE OUT AND I CAN'T BELIEVE A BUNCH OF PPL CORRECTLY GUESSED THAT THIS WAS ME I'M CRY ;A; i really tried to be discreet but like lskjdfljsdf APPARENTLY I'M OBVIOUS AS HELL /SOBS
> 
> this was a really fun prompt to play around with, and i really like writing this kind of melodramatic/fantasy type of thing! but i didn't mean to make it so angsty lmao. somehow jihoon became a tiny ball of bitter anger when i wasn't paying attention, but he gets better in the end! my poor son :')))
> 
> it was a lot of fun being part of this exchange and i'm really glad i did it after all! thank you so much to all the authors that participated and everyone that read or showed interest!! ♥


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